


Transliteration 3 - Discovery

by thealphagate_archivist



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-09-07
Updated: 2007-09-07
Packaged: 2019-02-02 02:44:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12718038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thealphagate_archivist/pseuds/thealphagate_archivist
Summary: Don't say "Ka" until you've tried it.





	Transliteration 3 - Discovery

**Author's Note:**

> Note from the archivists: this story was originally archived at [The Alpha Gate](https://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Alpha_Gate), a Stargate SG-1 archive, which began migration to the AO3 in 2017 when its hosting software, eFiction, was no longer receiving support. To preserve the archive, we began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in November 2017. We e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are this creator and it hasn't transferred to your AO3 account, please contact us using the e-mail address on [The Alpha Gate collection profile](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/thealphagate).
> 
>  **Author's notes:** Season 7 but Janet is alive in this universe. Daniel's been downsized to a toddler with Jack as his guardian.

Oddly enough, it was the Unas language that finally tipped him off. 

Lord knows Jack had heard the harsh sounds often enough when Daniel was still big enough to be on his team. The short simple words would be easy for little mouths to pronounce. A familiar word had caught his ear earlier that morning. Sometimes Jack thought the adult Daniel was in there somewhere, but those moments were fleeting and hard to pin down. Listening intently, he didn’t hear anything else he recognized. The rest of the toddler’s ‘talk’ was the usual gibberish any other 15-month old baby would make so he chalked it up to coincidence. 

Then tonight at dinner when Daniel rejected a spoonful of peas with a resounding “KA!” Jack knew what he was hearing. The word was unmistakable both in pronunciation and in context. 

Suddenly, looking back on some of the things the boy had said, and allowing for the distortion caused by talking around a pacifier, Jack realized that he’d heard other familiar words all along. Words that were unknown to most people and combined haphazardly within each sentence had masked the fact that Daniel was using real language. It was like looking at one of those optical illusion drawings. Once his eye figured out the trick, he could see the drawing from either perspective. Now, he could hear other meaningful words Daniel had said. 

On a hunch, Jack held up the spoonful of green mush. “Daniel.” He waited until the boy’s eyes met his. “Answer me in English, and English ONLY please. Would you like some peas?” 

He began to feel foolish as the toddler stared at him blankly. The spoon edged closer to the little lips. 

“NO!” Daniel shouted, scowling mightily. “No peas!” One little hand smacked the tray of the highchair as the bottom lip stuck out for emphasis. 

Jack felt a thrill run through him as his heart sped up with excitement. He was right. All the arguments, the wrangling, fending off those upper echelon jerks who thought they knew better – and he was right. Dr. Daniel Jackson, triple PhD was still in there somewhere. In the meantime, Jack had a toddler to deal with and temper could not be allowed. 

Keeping the excitement off of his face, he said calmly, “Remember your manners, Daniel. What do you say?” He hastily added, “in English.” 

Little brows furrowed over puzzled blue eyes. “Umm…YOU eat them?” was the tentative reply. 

Jack had to bite the inside of his lip to keep from laughing. “Think, Daniel. Remember your polite words. ‘Yes, please’ and ‘No…” he trailed off, looking at the boy expectantly. 

“OH!” The little face lit up. “No, thank you!” 

“Very good,” smiled Jack. This definitely called for a celebration. He put the spoon back in the dish. “You’ve eaten everything else, so tell you what, sport. How about we skip right to dessert? Want some Jello?” 

Daniel beamed. Chubby hands clapped as little sneakers drummed against the highchair. “Yay! Jello!” he shouted. 

Jack grinned at him and ruffled his hair. Yay, indeed, he thought as he took the rejected peas into the kitchen. He set the dish in the sink then opened the fridge to get the Jello jigglers he had made that morning. Behind him, Daniel chattered happily in what he now recognized as, among other tongues, English, Ancient, Abydonian, and the as-yet-unnamed language of the cave people of P3K-447. Daniel, his best friend, was still with him. Yay, indeed. 

Finis


End file.
